Hearing devices as well as communication devices that are inserted into a user's ear often pick up wind noise, in particular due to objects in close proximity and/or in the ear of the user. The natural shape of the pinna though prevents a human being from being exposed to too much wind noise if the maximum wind velocity is below approximately 25 m/s. For higher wind velocities, wind noise can even result from the pinna itself. It must be noted however that already wind velocities below the given value can result in wind noise from the pinna because a strong dependency is given on the angle of wind incidence. If artificial objects—as for example an earphone, a hearing device or a communication device—is placed in the pinna, i.e. in the cavum-concha, or even in the ear canal, wind noise resulting from turbulences due to such an object occur and degrade the quality of hearing or communication because of a lowering of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).
For even higher wind velocities than the one mentioned above, signal-to-noise ratio is further reduced by wind noise resulting from the pinna itself.
For communication devices, such as cellular phones, headsets are used which are connected via a cable to the communication device. A microphone is attached to this cable in between the headset and the cellular phone in order to provide bidirectional transmission. Having said this it becomes apparent that strong winds lead to strong turbulences which in turn lead to disturbing noise and reduced signal-to-noise ratio. The so-called “walkman” headsets with or without incorporated microphones—the latter being used in connection with MP3 players, for example—are not suitable for the intended use.
Standard “walkman” headphones also used for MP3 players like iPod or other portable communication devices like radio sets employ miniature dynamic receivers (also called earphones) and usually come with an acoustically transparent foam cover to protect the receiver from ear wax or other dirt. The disadvantages of existing solutions are the wearing comfort (loose fit in the ear and cable) and the communication quality.
Similar headsets claimed to be for sports and/or outdoors are designed to be water resistant but are not suitable for using in conditions with high velocity wind streams. All presently known solutions comprise a screen on the microphone in order to prevent the intrusion of dirt and ear wax into the ear.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,343B1, a hearing aid is disclosed having an acoustic input aperture and a cover element covering the acoustic input aperture. The cover element is received in the hearing aid housing and its surface is flush with that of said housing. The cover element is made of a porous material. It has been found that wind noise due to turbulences particularly caused by strong winds has a major impact on the performance of such a known hearing aid in that the signal-to-noise ratio is rather low.
Therefore, one object of the present invention is to improve signal-to-noise ratio and to further reduce wind noise influence on the performance of in-ear devices, i.e. of hearing devices or communication devices.